IP Library › Granted Patent US 12,410,686
Granted Patent B2
US 12,410,686 · App. 17/708,802 · Granted Sep 9, 2025

Monitoring scale inhibitor treatment

Inventors: Qiwei Wang (Dhahran, SA); Tao Chen (Dhahran, SA); Hameed H. Al-Badairy (Dhahran, SA)
Assignee: Saudi Arabian Oil Company
E21B37/06C09K8/528E21B43/20G01N23/20091G01N33/1853H01J37/28G01N1/4077
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,410,686
App. No.
17/708,802
Granted
Sep 9, 2025
Kind
B2
Abstract

A method and system of treatment with scale inhibitor, including adding scale inhibitor to source water to give injection water, conveying the injection water in a surface conduit to an injection well for injection into an oil reservoir in a subterranean formation, pumping the injection water through a wellbore of the injection well into the oil reservoir, obtaining a sample of the injection water (including suspended solids), and analyzing the suspended solids.

Claims (51)

1. A method of treatment with scale inhibitor, comprising:

adding scale inhibitor to source water to give injection water;

conveying the injection water in a surface conduit to an injection well for injection into an oil reservoir in a subterranean formation;

obtaining a sample of the injection water, wherein the sample of the injection water comprises suspended solids;

analyzing the suspended solids via energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy (EDS), x-ray diffraction (XRD), or x-ray fluorescence (XRF), or any combinations thereof; and

pumping the injection water through a wellbore of the injection well into the oil reservoir.

2. The method of claim 1 , comprising analyzing the suspended solids via EDS.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein analyzing the suspended solids comprises:

separating the suspended solids from the sample;

drying the suspended solids as separated; and

analyzing the suspended solids as separated and dried via EDS, XRD, or XRF, or any combinations thereof.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein adding the scale inhibitor to the source water comprises adding the scale inhibitor to the source water in the surface conduit at an addition point along the surface conduit, and wherein the surface conduit upstream of the addition point conveys the source water.

5. The method of claim 4 , comprising collecting deposited solids from an internal surface of the surface conduit downstream of the addition point, wherein analyzing the suspended solids comprises analyzing solids including the suspended solids and the deposited solids, wherein the analyzing comprises EDS, XRD, or XRF, or any combinations thereof.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the source water comprises aquifer water produced from a water supply well into the surface conduit, and wherein adding the scale inhibitor to the source water comprises adding the scale inhibitor to the surface conduit to give the injection water conveyed in the surface conduit.

7. The method of claim 1 , comprising:

determining via the analyzing that that the suspended solids do not comprise calcium carbonate solids; and

deeming that the treatment with the scale inhibitor as effective in response to determining that the suspended solids do not comprise calcium carbonate solids.

8. The method of claim 1 , comprising:

determining via the analyzing that the suspended solids comprise calcium carbonate solids; and

imaging the calcium carbonate solids.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein the imaging comprises scanning electron microscopy (SEM).

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein the SEM comprises environmental scanning electron microscopy (ESEM).

11. The method of claim 8 , comprising:

determining via the imaging that the calcium carbonate solids do not comprise calcium carbonate solids formed in presence of the scale inhibitor; and

deeming that the treatment with the scale inhibitor as effective in response to determining that the calcium carbonate solids do not comprise calcium carbonate solids formed in the presence of the scale inhibitor.

12. The method of claim 8 , comprising determining via the imaging that the calcium carbonate solids comprise calcium carbonate solids formed in presence of the scale inhibitor.

13. The method of claim 12 , comprising adding more of the scale inhibitor to the source water in response to determining that the calcium carbonate solids comprise calcium carbonate solids formed in presence of the scale inhibitor.

14. The method of claim 12 , wherein adding the scale inhibitor to the source water comprises adding the scale inhibitor to the source water in the surface conduit at an addition point along the surface conduit, and wherein the surface conduit upstream of the addition point conveys the source water.

15. The method of claim 14 , comprising increasing addition rate of the scale inhibitor to the source water in response to determining that the calcium carbonate solids comprise calcium carbonate solids formed in presence of the scale inhibitor.

16. The method of claim 1 , wherein adding the scale inhibitor to the source water comprises adding the scale inhibitor via a squeeze treatment with the scale inhibitor of a water supply well that provides the source water.

17. The method of claim 1 , wherein adding the scale inhibitor to the source water comprises adding the scale inhibitor via a backside treatment with the scale inhibitor to a water supply well that provides the source water.

18. A method of treatment with scale inhibitor, comprising:

adding scale inhibitor to source water to give injection water for injection via an injection well into an oil reservoir comprising crude oil;

obtaining a sample of the injection water, wherein the sample of the injection water comprises suspended solids;

analyzing the suspended solids via energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy (EDS), x-ray diffraction (XRD), or x-ray fluorescence (XRF), or any combinations thereof, thereby identifying calcium carbonate solids of the suspended solids; and

analyzing the calcium carbonate solids via imaging, thereby identifying at least some of the calcium carbonate solids as formed in presence of the scale inhibitor.

19. The method of claim 18 , comprising increasing an amount of the scale inhibitor added to the source water in response to identifying at least some of the calcium carbonate solids as formed in the presence of the scale inhibitor.

20. The method of claim 18 , comprising:

conveying the injection water in a surface conduit to the injection well for injection into the oil reservoir in a subterranean formation, wherein the injection well comprises a wellbore formed in the subterranean formation; and

injecting the injection water through the wellbore into the oil reservoir in the subterranean formation.

21. The method of claim 18 , wherein analyzing the suspended solids comprises analyzing the suspended solids via EDS.

22. The method of claim 18 , wherein the imaging comprises scanning electron microscopy (SEM) or environmental scanning electron microscopy (ESEM), or both.

23. The method of claim 18 , comprising providing, via a water supply well, aquifer water from an aquifer in a subterranean formation as the source water.

24. A method of treatment with scale inhibitor, comprising:

adding scale inhibitor to source water to give injection water for injection via an injection well into an oil reservoir;

conveying the injection water in a surface conduit to the injection well for injection into the oil reservoir;

obtaining a sample of the injection water, wherein the sample of the injection water comprises suspended solids;

analyzing the suspended solids via energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy (EDS), thereby identifying calcium carbonate solids of the suspended solids;

analyzing the calcium carbonate solids via scanning electron microscopy (SEM) or environmental scanning electron microscopy (ESEM), or both, thereby identifying at least some of the calcium carbonate solids as formed in presence of the scale inhibitor; and

increasing an amount of the scale inhibitor added to the source water in response to identifying at least some of the calcium carbonate solids as formed in the presence of the scale inhibitor.

25. The method of claim 24 , comprising providing, via a water supply well, aquifer water from an aquifer in a subterranean formation as the source water into the surface conduit, and wherein adding the scale inhibitor to the source water comprises adding the scale inhibitor to the surface conduit to give the injection water conveyed in the surface conduit.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Mar 31, 2022
From: WANG, QIWEI; CHEN, TAO; AL-BADAIRY, HAMEED H.
To: SAUDI ARABIAN OIL COMPANY
Reel/Frame 059456/0589 →
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20230313644A1 · Oct 5, 2023
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